Improvement in coen-haevestees



@with 'tstrs @anni @fitta HARM@ N L. SMITH, 0F WATK'INS, NEW YORK.heitere Pefeeee Ne. 72,236, defeez peeemtee 17. 1867.

IMPROVEMENT IN CORN-HARVESTERS.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, HARMorf L. SMITH, of Watkins, in the county ofSchuyler, and State of New York, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in ,Corn and Cane-Harvesters; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description thereof, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings making part of vthis specification. I

Figure 1 is a. plan of my improved harvester.

Figure 2, a longitudinal vertical section. e

Figure 3, a plan of a portion of the under side of the harvester, theremaining portion being broken away.

Figures 4 and 5, views of modified arrangements of the knives'.

Like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention consists in combining with the platform and the thills ahand-lever, so arranged lthat by rais'- ing the same the platform istilted for throwing off the stalks that have collected. Also,incombination with these parts, a special arrangement of the gearing andconnecting-devices for giving motion to `the knives and reels, anddisengagi'ng the same.

As represented in the drawings, A is the platform, mounted ondriving-wheels B B', and C the ordinary thills, which are hinged, at aa, directly to the front end of the platform. A lever, D, is jointed atb to the ,cross-bar of the thills, and is connected in the rear of thiswith the front end of the platform by a-link or jointed connection, c,as clearly shown in g. 2. The lever extends hack to the drivers seat, E,where it is secured in any desired position in a notched standard, G. i

The driver, holding this lever in his hand while the machine goesforward, has perfect control of the gauge of cut, for by raising andlowering the same the front end of the platform that holds the knives iscorrespondingly raised or lowered.- In this manner the operator canadapt his knives exactly to the height of the corn or the irregularityof the'ground he goes over. In addition to this, when a sufiicientquantity of. the stalks has collected on the platform to form a shock,the raising of the lever high will tilt the platform in the rearsufficiently to slide the stalks off, asindicaterl by red lines in iig.2. This arrangement of connecting the plat* form directly with thethills by the lever, without intermediate parts, is exceedingly simple,obviatng the necessityof ausecondary orauxiliary platform,` as in othermachines, for dumping the load. I am aware of no other machine where themain platform itself is dumped by the action of a simple leverconnecting it with the thills.

To the driving-wheels are secured bevel-gears 1 1, with which meshpinions 2 f?, on side craukshafts H H. With the cranks d cZ connectpitmen ff, Vin the ordinary way for running the knivesI I. These knivesmay be either serrated or sickle-edged, as shown at the top in tig. I,so as to rasp through the stalks, or made with a smooth, concave edge,as at the bottom in the same figure, or they may be straight-edged, asshown in fig. 4. With the straight knives I prefer to employ guards, jj,as shown. If desiredpalso, the three-pointed knives I AI', fig. 5, maybe employed in addition, attached to the reel-shafts hereinafterdescribed.` The crank-shaft-sare provided with grooved collars, g y, inwhich grooves rest the bent heads e of levers K If, which, by moving thesaid shafts endwise, thrbw the pinions -out of gear with the cog-wheels,and consequently disengage the knives. -With the driving-wheels are alsoconnected spur-gears, 3 3, with which engage-similar wheels, 4 4,oil-transverse shafts H H', beneath the platform, as shown most clearlyin fig. 3. On these shafts are pulleys, h h, having bands, z'z', whichpass forward and aroundA similar pulleys, Ick, secured to the shafts M Mof the reels. The shafts H H have also groeved collars, g g', in whichrest'levers K K', projectihg out behind, by moving which in the properdirection at any time the shafts will be drawn outfendwise, therebydisengagiug the gears and stopping the motion ofA thereels. The reelsconsist simplybf bent arms overhangiug the front end of the platform,and revolving in such a direction as to draw the stalks up to the knivesand on to theplatform. With the reel-shafts are connected bent staysorguards N N, of the form shown in figs. l and 2. These serve to preventthe stalks from being carried off the platform by the reels, and alsoserve as stays to the reel-shafts.

By the special arrangement of the gearing above described, I can run theknives and the reels, or diseon nect them, at pleasure, and withoutinterfering in' the least with the tilting of the platform. The tiltingof the platform 'in the manner described could not be accomplished-inthe use of any ordinary gearing.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-v 1. The combination of the hand-lever D with the platform A andthills C, without intermediate parts, so arranged that the platform istilted by simply raising the lever, as herein set forth.

2. The arrangement, with the tiltingplatform, of the parts constitutingthe gearing operating the knives I and reels M, the same consistingr ofthe gears 1, 2, 3, 4, the shafts H H', with the collars g g', operatedby levers K K', and the pulleys and bands lc Ic, z', the wholeconstructed and operating in the manner and for the purpose specified.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

HARMON L. SMITH.

Witnesses:

D. C. WHITE, M. T. BARNES.

